. >> as you reportedon,joebidencouldnot be a better emissary on this issue, both for the reasons you pointed out, and also he knows personal tragedy and knows it well. so when he speaks about this issue, too, it comes from a personal place. and i think the president is smart in what he is doing here politically, as well. he knows that assault weapons ban, the ban on extended magazines, universal background checks. those are things that a republican congress is not just going to come out and support. he has to remind american people of how important this is. he has to get the american people behind him, and ultimately even if it takes a turnover in the house in 2014, which is something i think we personally could see. even if that is the end game having the american people behind him is ultimately the only way that anything real is going to happen here. >> richard wolff, a word on joe biden today. i was struck watching him lead the way into this subject. that i really cannot think of a more effective, more valuable vice president that we have had. unless you are a big fan of torture a

minute now to talk about the sweeping gun control advice that he's gotten from vicepresidentjoebiden's taskforce, what it means for the country and legislatively moving forward is anybody's guess, but we'll know in a couple of minutes. joining me in studio, alex wagner, host of msnbc's "now" and steve kornacki. what are you anticipating the president's going to come out with? we keep hearing big, keep hearing bold. >> it's bold in the context it's been two decades since any movement in gun control, the brady bill, five-day waiting period in '93, then you have to go back to 1968 for anything before that. >> guys, let's go ahead. there's vice president joe biden. let's listen to him. >> innocents that were murdered 33 days ago. our heart goes out to you. and you show incredible courage, incredible courage being here, and the president and i are going to do everything in our power to honor the memory of your children and your wives with the work we take up here today. it's been 33 days since the nation's heart was broken by the horrific, senseless violence that took place at sandy hook

of the century. the e-mail says, "barackobama,joebidenandtheir gun ban allies in congress only want to blame you, bully you, vilify you and strip you of your second amendment freedoms." are they trying to scare gun owners? >> we're not trying to scare them. we're not saying your rights are at risk. the president of the united states is saying that. >> reporter: joe scarborough of "morning joe" had an a-rating from the nra when he was in congress. >> the more the nra speaks out after the slaughter of these 20 first graders, the worse they make it for their side. >> reporter: so far, a majority of the house still has a-ratings for their votes from the gun lobby. >> it has clout, because it had members in every state and almost every congressional district and because it's built up a reputation of effectiveness. >> reporter: the question now is whether that will change after the massacre at sandy hook elementary. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> there is breaking news in the air tonight. and it's bad news for boeing. after a slew of problems, the faa has ordered all the new 787 dreaml

, and the deadline is approaching for vicepresidentjoebidentorepresentative his recommendations to the president which should happen tuesday. cnn's candy crowley is taking up the debate in today's "state of the union" and candy, i understand that you have a pretty outspoken guest on the show. >> well, a couple of them. david keene who is the president of the national rifle association and also we will talk to the new senator from connecticut chris murphy and i spoke to him a month ago up there on the scene at newtown, and then we want to try to take a look of this from a bipartisan approach if that is possible. there is a new group forming with senator joe manchin who is a democrat from west virginia and jon huntsman who was a presidential candidate a moderate who is trying to form this group to form bipartisanship, and is that possible anymore? we want to look at gun debate through the prism of bipartisanship and is that at all possible? >> do you believe they will come to some type of agreement here, because certainly a lot of issues on the table? >> yes. i think that there are a lot of issues

month, vicepresidentjoebidenandhis task force is met with 229 groups from around the country. biden's task force provided a road map for the long drive ahead. >> while there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of evil. if there is even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there's even one life that can be saved, then we've got an obligation to try it. and i'm going to do my part. >> the president very compelling. he's willing to spend political capital in order to get something done. specific legislative proposals include a system of universal background checks, renewing the assault weapons ban from the clinton era, limiting high capacity magazines to ten bullets, providing more resources to states in reporting criminals and the mentally ill. out lawing armor-piercing bullets and funding, more funding, for police officers around the country. the president also signed 23 executive actions, most of them reinforcing laws already on the books. some actions are

of those might come up this weekwhenjoebidenunveilsthe recommendations that his group is making. jim, good morning. caller: i have been listening to the commentary about violent video games. i guess it is cause and effect, caused being behind the violent action, the violent media. i do not simply agree with that. i think that the biggest issue is mental illness. really, the media in this instance is being used as a scapegoat. host: so, what needs to be done? put more money into the mental health system? caller: i would recommend that, but in a targeted way. as you probably know, the fbi has a national fingerprinting database that could exist for people with mental illnesses. the real issue is the accountability for those the purchase weapons. not only the accountability of the owner, but those who may steal them. bob host: this commentary comes from examiner -- steal them. host: this commentary comes from examiner.com. host: so, we are getting your thoughts this morning. what are the other articles this morning in the arts section of "the new york times"? this is the front page. the

presidentjoebiden. againyou can see the president's remarks here on c-span starting at 11:55 eastern. following that announcement we'll open our phone lines to get rea. gun violence will be the topic of a meeting this afternoon hosted by the staring meet. newtown connecticut school superintendent is among those who will speak along with the philadelphia mayor and natalie who is the son of gabe zimmerman who died in the 2011 two don, arizona shooting. house minority leader nancy pelosi is also scheduled to attend. that will be live this afternoon starting at 2:00 eastern here on c-span. on this morning's "washington journal," we were joined by house judiciary committee chair, bob goodlatte, who discussed the debate over guns laws. host: welcome back to the table, bob goodlatte, chairman of the house judiciary committee committee. thank you very much for talking to our viewers this morning. guest: thank you. good to be with you and the viewers. host: the president will speak at 11:45 and put forward what he would like to see happen on gun control. what are your thoughts? guest: first o

-ins for president obama and vicepresidentjoebidenwatchthe presidential escort from the capital's east steps, including the u.s. army ban, the old guard drum core and honor guard members from each branch of the military in exactly one week hole dad -- we will be live on the national mall. i'm the one in the middle. our coverage begins at 5:00 a.m. eastern. >>> new this morning, big royal baby news. the duke and duchess of cambridge, their baby is due in july. that's according to st. james palace, a spokesman also saying that kate's condition is continuing to improve following her stay in a hospital for what the palace said was severe morning sickness. she is believed to be around 13 to 14 weeks pregnant now. >>> hollywood, the 70th golden globe awards, they did not go according to script. never do. ben affleck won the award for best director. take that, academy voters. his film "argo" upset "lincoln" to take the top prize for best dramatic film. michelle turner has more on the big winners and best moments from the golden globes. >> it's getting slop where i in here, everybody. look hot drunk

bill. we are so lucky to have barack obamaandjoebidennow.i think this was masterful. they hit all of the problem areas. i think it's a great start. you know, i'm disappointed in the news coverage. obama talked about the assault rifles and i wasn't sure if he was saying he thought they just should be outlawed outright. i got that from him. and what they would do about ones that were already out there. do you know anything about that? >> bill: well, there would be a ban on the sale of assault weapons going forward but there is no word about what to do about the -- i think i've seen maybe 20 million 40 million that are already out there in circulation or in the hands of gun owners. >> caller: oh, man. >> bill: that's a real, real problem. >> caller: that's -- >> bill: that's why i think we need a buyback provision like they did in australia. >> caller: buyback and if someone did want to have them, they could at least -- i think they should have to have insurance, too. handguns and everything. it costs $300 billion a year in medical costs for gun shot wounds in this country. >> bill:

close look at it asisjoebidenwhois expected to come out with some recommendations in the next 24 hours. >> reporter: over 30,000 gun deaths in the u.s. every year, the challenge, gun control. >> i lost my husband right before christmas. >> reporter: if anyone knows the pain of losing someone to gun violence, it is new york congresswoman carol mccarthy. her husband was dilled in a mass shooting on the long island railroad. after years of trying to pass gun laws on capitol hill--all the time it was difficult because there's so much anger, why are we allowing this to continue to happen. >> on day one of the new congress, mccarthy and other lawmakers introduced or reintroduced -- several senate bills are on the way but all are far from a gun deal. in his first term, president obama passed no laws permitting gun use. even before he's sworn in again, he's expected to review proposals from his new gun task force. >> this is a team that has a very specific task to pull together real reforms right now. >> the white house is focused on a white ranging plan involving more than just firearms

it through congress. the n.r.a. is standing by over concerns of a meeting withvice-presidentjoebidensayingthe obama administration needs to stop focusing solely on guns and gun owners. >> we wish instead of talking about guns specifically, that t they would have addressed what will we do in the future. what will we do about a broken mental health system that allows people potentially violent to be on the streets? >> and a liberal think tank weighing in for the first time shall the center for american progress announcing it's joining a full scale campaign to push for more gun control laws. >> the organizations will be working to work in the states, and ensure at that we have the voice and really have the american people and really gun owners who listen to the proposals, their voices at the table as well. >> harris: all of this in the wake of a week long series of meetings hosted by the vice-president as he puts together a plan to curb violence, he says. we expect that plan to be officially presented to the white house on tuesday. our peter doocy with the news live for us in washing

and make sure those decisions are acted on. >> you wrote a letter to vicepresidentjoebidenandyou said while connecticut may have some of the strongest gun control laws in the country, it is not enough. that gun control has to be addressed nationally. what specific points would you like to see included in federal gun legislation? >> well, it is pretty straightforward. number one, nobody should be able to buy a gun in the country without a background check. it is computerized. i can't get on an airplane or you can't get on an airplane without somebody checking to see if we're on a list to see if we should be on there. why should somebody be able to buy a potentially destructive instrument such as a gun, without a background check. and that includes, we have to be very clear, closing all loopholes. this loophole is what leads to guns coming to connecticut cities from gun shows in florida and virginia and elsewhere, where there is no background check. you can't do that in the state of connecticut. it shouldn't be allowed. and then of course -- >> but the problem with the nra, sorry, go ah

generalbeaubiden, sonofvicepresidentjoebiden. anddaniel webster. he's the director of the johns hopkins center for gun policy and research. welcome to you. >> thank you. >> let me start with you, if i may, mr. mayor. you're a mayor of a major american city. a violent city. like many of the big cities in america. from what you understand of what the president will be revealing tomorrow as wa he wants to push forward with, is that enough? >> it is a fantastic start, piers. and the problem is we haven't done enough in the past. first and foremost, president obama and certainly the work of vice president biden needs to be commended. this will not be easy. we all know that. and so for all those, if there are going to be those voices already saying is it enough, how about joining the fight to make sure that we're successful? and then we'll keep pushing forward. >> police commissioner ramsey, there are two issues here, it seems to me, in terms of the type of violence. you have the predominantly handgun violence of criminals and gangs. and then you have the mass shootings, which have es

just said. remember, when president obamaaskedjoebidentohead up this effort looking at potential reform, remember, he initially said the effort was supposed to produce recommendations by the end of january. and so it was big news last week when we heard that vice president biden was actually planning to report to the president early. he wasn't waiting until the end of january. he was going to report in mid-january. he was planning on reporting hi recommendations by tomorrow, by tuesday. but then today at this press conference, we learned that actually, the vice president has already made his report to the president today. the vice president pushing up the time frame yet again. and president obama saying today that he will make further remarks later this week telling us what is going to happen next, given those recommendations. this is faster than the president even said it was going to happen. and he initially said it was going to happen fast. speed it turns out is central to the strategy. and that is turning out to be true both in washington and in the states that are moving ahe

, a task force headed by vicepresidentjoebidenisexpected to recommend a ban on a salt style weapons. they are urging retailers to take the weapons off the shelves. >> i'm urging our country's major gun retailers like walmart and sports authority to suspend sails of modern assault style weapons until congress is able to fully consider and vote on legislation to curb gun violence. >> president obama made clear he's ready for a fight over the response to gun violence. >>> a somber day for those marking the one year anniversary for the costa concordia tragedy. the crew that died were remembered during a mass today. the ship is still partially submerged in the harbor there. the captain could still face charges there. >>> a ban on american adoptions will not go into effect until next year according to a russian news agency. hundreds of russians protests the ban in moscow believing the government passed it as backlash for a u.s. law that targets human rights violations in russia. the decision to delay the ban means 46 adoptions now in the process should go through. >>> the hobby lobby chai

, and online ammunition sales. mr. obama met yesterdaywithjoebidentogo over a whole load of proposals that were put together by a task force led by the vice president. and they include up to 19 different steps that the president could take through executive action to by pass powerful opposition in congress. and dan lothian joins us live at the white house. so, dan, if you could just layout the difference between what the president can do using executive action versus using administrative action. >> and the president and vice president have talked about things they can do legislatively. but if they can't do it that way, they can move things a lot qui quick are by ter by the preside acting on his own. a ban on high capacity clips. universal back grounground chec. tightening up checks on background checks. also discussing issues around mental health. those are some of the things that are part of the package that the president is currently looking at. but again, the president also has talked about using executive orders to move things along very quickly. and that is sort of shaping up to

tennessee. good afternoon, let me begin by thanking our vicepresidentjoebidenforhis dedication to this issue and for bringing so many voices to the table. while reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge we have to protect our children from harm and it should not be a--over the months since the tragedy in newtown we heard from so many people and not of them have been more effective than those gorgeous children that were lost. their teachers or also lost. we are grateful for all of you take your time out and to recognize that we honor their memory carr. we also heard from some unexpected people. i started to get a lot of letters from children and for them are here today. they are pretty it representatives of some of the messages that i receive. these are some very smart letters from some pretty smart young people. hanna which is a third grader. can you go ahead and wait. >> sarod, ico terrible for the parents lost their children. i love my country and i want everyone to be happy and safe. granted, where abraham. he stated that is to be some changes and that we should learn

point" at 7:00 eastern time. >> and one many onth to the day since atsault,joebidenwillmeet with representatives to gather policy proposals on gun violence. the vice president's final recommendations are expected to be announced on tuesday. >>> also in the house of representatives debate begins today on two bills address superstorm sandy relief. congress passed $9 billion in aid last week. the states and president are asking for another $50 billion. one of the house plans, however, calls for just $17 billion in what it calls emergency aid. >>> the week getting off to a really soggy start in some parts of the country. heavy rain and flooding wash out roads in parts of west tennessee. public schools and three counties are closed today because buses couldn't get to the students. and the national weather service saying an ef-tornado hit near paducah, kentucky, on saturday. it destroyed one church and blew the steeple off another. we want to check in with alexandra steel. >> good morning you to guys. here it is. here's the cold front. along it is all the rain. you saw that floodi

the gun issue at 12:30 eastern when vicepresidentjoebidenspeaksat the annual winter meeting of the u.s. conference of mayors. the event happening one day after the white house announced its plan for reducing gun violence. a plan endorsed by philadelphia mayor michael nutter, who currently serves as president of the conference. the vice president speaking at 12:30 eastern, live on c-span. and at 6:30, pbs host tavis smiley, holds his annual forum focusing on poverty in america. former g.o.p. presidential candidate and speaker of the house, newt gingrich, and ohio representative, marshall fudge, are among the several panelists who will examine the issue and possible solutions. the discussion's entitled a vision for america, future without poverty. tomorrow night a look back at inaugurations from the past from harry truman's 1949 inaugural to president george w. bush swearing-in and speech from 2001. we'll see and hear presidents of the past 60 years on the day they officially took office. our coverage features universal news reels, footage from the senate recording studio, and presiden

>>> tomorrow night on the heels of the one-month anniversary of the massacre at sandyhook,joebidenhands his recommendations on gun violence, i'll host a live one-hour special. "guns in america." i'll be talking to people on both sides, including maryland attorney general beau biden who says military style assault weapons have no place on the streets, his own brother is a casualty of gun violence that says that the victims in newtown are being used by propaganda. the families of the victims of the aurora movie theater massacre. be part of a live audience in my new york city studio. go to my website for details. that's all for us tonight. "ac 360" starts now. >>> piers, thanks. good evening, it's 10:00 in newtown, connecticut. one month ago, tragedy touched down in his idyllic town, forever changing the lives of so many people here. one month later, the crowds, reporters, and law enforcement personnel are gone, but the pain for many families here remain. for the first time in the town hall behind me, family members of 11 victims of the tragedy had a conversation, about health,

that are hard because they're the right things to do. >> the president will be joined by vicepresidentjoebidenwho presented his task force recommendations monday. also joining the president tomorrow will be children who wrote letters to the white house after the deadly shooting at sandy hook elementary school just over a month ago. and this pivotal moment comes as more americans are calling for stricter gun laws. a new "washington post" post shows 52% of people believe the shooting at sandy hook has made them more supportive of gun control. the latest pew survey shows big support for universal background checks and preventing gun sales to the mentally ill. broad backing for a federal gun database and the banning of semiautomatic weapons. so why is it that even the suggestion of such measures is provoking such fear and trembling from conservative quarters? possible executive action such as limiting gun imports, sharing mental health records, and, heaven forbid, researching the public health impact of guns have led this congressman, steve stockman, of texas to threat be impeachment if the

. president obama will receive the task forced manbyjoebiden, therecommendations there. interestingly, he didn't want to go too far in specifics today, i think wanting to wait, see the proposal and what he can get down and sounded a note that he understood he probably would n't get everything he wanted. >> thanks for that, chris. we hope -- >> thank you. >> -- to see you tomorrow. starting the week. my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next. >> great to see you. next hour, new reaction after president obama addresses two urgent issues in the last news conference of his first term. on the debt feeling, the president telling the congress the united states is not a deadbeat nation that doesn't pay the bills and on gun control legislation, the president urging congress to examine their own conscience and put politics aside. representatives jackie spear and adam schiff will join us and look at the battles ahead coming up in three. [ heart beating, monitor beeping ] woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water c

the country and seen on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: today, vicepresidentjoebidenmeetingwith president obama to present to him the recommendations out of his task force. he's been hard at it for the last month in the wake of the newtown, connecticut. to come up with recommendations for the congress. and according to some lawmakers 19 steps that the vice president feels the president himself can take without needing congressional authority on the issue of gun violence. this time it looks like it's just not going to go away. there will be some action. randi weingarten is very much part of that conversation. representing america's teachers as president of the american federation of teachers. before we go to the phones, randi, peter you've been following social media comments. >> we're tweeting at bpshow. rd copeland says barack obama was right. the money drives the nra. it is why nra want more guns in schools and not less. profits above all. even kids' safety. karen, short and to the point says nra sells guns from fear. they will never be sensible. we're tweeting at

of the mentally ill and banning assault weapons. president obama has in hand to the recommendationsfromjoebidenongun-control and will push for action. the front page of the washington journal says president obama escalates the fight on the w economy. is the debt ceiling negotiable? your thoughts? send us a tweet or post your comment on facebook. you can also send us an e-mail. president obama held his last official news conference of the first term yesterday in the east room of the white house. here's what he had to say on the debt ceiling debate. [video clip] >> republicans and congress have two choices. they can act responsibly and pay america's bills or they can act irresponsibly and put america through another economic crisis. but they will not collect ransomed in exchange for not crashing the american economy. the financial well-being of the american people well-being is not a leverage to be used. the full faith and credit of the united states is not a bargaining chip. they had better choose quickly, because time is running short. the last time republicans in congress even flirted with t

of friends. they do trust each other. mitch mcconnell knowsifjoebidengiveshim his word, it is good. we need more of that in washington, not less. >> let me ask you, since i have you, something else the president mentioned, asked, of course, about gun violence in this country. here we are, one month since the horrendous shootings in newtown, connecticut. and we now know that he has the vice president's proposals on his desk. what should we be hearing about the proposals, john? >> this is going to be a fascinating test of the president, brooke. what he wants to do and how much he's willing to spend of his own political capital to get it in the second term. because what he wants to do is big things. immigration reform, a fight with the republican base. gun control, that means a fight with the republican base. this debt ceiling and the other spending and tax issues, that means a fight with the republican base. if you thought the election was going to bring kumbaya to washington, today's press conference told you you're wrong. the president was fascinating. he made crystal clear an assault

. president obama is reviewing recommendations from vicepresidentjoebidenaboutnew gun policy legislation. reportedly, the president is considering 19 steps that could be taken through executive action without having to go through congress. >>> we're gonna find up what facebook's big secret is. the menlo park-based social network is making an announcement at 10:00 this morning. last week, facebook issues an invitation. it includes "come and see what we're building." >>> and firefighters are putting out hot spots at an early-morning pier fire in crockett. investigators say it's suspicious. alex savidge was the first reporter there. he's back there. >> reporter: form, dave. arson investigators will be -- gear, dave. arson investigators will be -- good morning, dave. arson investigators will be continuing to investigate. they have a witness say they saw a small warming fire. they believe it may have been used possibly by fishermen and it's possible that fire grew out of hand. you can see five hours after this fire started we're still seeing this pier smoldering and from time to time we're se

begin my thanking our vicepresidentjoebidenforyourdedication,joe, tothis issue, for bringing so many different voices to the table, because while reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn't be a devisive one. over the month since the tragedy in newtown we've heard from so many, and obviously none have affected us more than the families of those gorgeous children and their teachers and guardians who were lost, and so we are grateful to all of you for taking the time to be here and recognizing that we honor their memories in part by doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. but we also heard from some unexpected people, in particular i started getting a lot of letters from kids. four of them are here today, grant fritz, julia stokes, hina zeha. and taja good. they are pretty representative of some of the messages that i got. these are some pretty smart letters from some pretty smart young people. hina, a third grader. you can go ahead and wave, hina, that's you. she wrote, i feel terrible for the parents who los

officials carrying guns. >>> on that topic, vicepresidentjoebidenmetwith house members and cabinet officials today. preparing to give the president his task force's recommendations on how to reduce gun violence. cnn white house correspondent dan lothian join us live now. dan. >> and the vice president ao met with the president today. they went other some proposals. the president saying that later in the week, he'll be outlining some specifics about watt administration needs to do. there will be no doubt, some resistance to what the president will be offering. but the president says that he is not worried about the politics. president obama says he's already reviewing the vice president's recommendations aimed at tackling gun violence. while some may require congressional approval. >> how we are gathering data, for example, on guns that fall into the hands of criminals. and how we track that more effectively. there may be some steps that we can take administratively as opposed to through legislation. >> reporter: strong resistance to executive orders from some gun right advocates wh

spooked by something that happened 20 years ago. don'tforget,joebidenwhowas running this was in the middle of that fight, then, too as a senator. so democrats are completely spooked by the gun issue. that's not going to change. what they have to be convinced of is that public opinion has shifted because of newtown and that there are some of these fights, not all of them, some of these fights that they can win. i mean, republicans are worried if they vote for some of these issues, they are going to be primaried by more conservative republicans. democrats understand that this may be an opportunity. >> gloria borger, thanks so much for that. >> sure. >>> you're about to hear oprah winfrey's reaction to lance armstrong's admission that he's a cheater. >>> later, does another member of the clinton family have political ambitions? [ male announcer ] how do you measure happiness? by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can

vicepresident,joebiden, foryourdedication,joe, tothis issue, for bringing so many different voices to the table, because while reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn't be a divisive one. over the month since the tragedy in newtown, we've heard from so many, and obviously none have affected us more than the families of those gorgeous children and their teachers and guardians who were lost, and so we're grateful for all of you taking the time to be here and recognizing that we honor their memories in part by doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. we also heard from unexpected people. in particular, i started getting a lot of letters from kids. four of them are here today. graham, julia, kenny and taja. they're pretty represented of some of the messages that i got. these are some pretty smart letters from some pretty smart young people. henna, a third grader. you can go ahead and wave, henna. that's you. henna wrote, i feel terrible for the parents who lost their children. i love my country, and i want

and that was incidentally first initiated and passedbyjoebiden. soshe's the right person for to appoint whom we should do next. assault weapons falls within the bounds of the second amendment and so does everything else we are urging. this isn't a constitutional question, it is of political courage. the supreme court that defines what the constitution means and says has ruled that reasonable regulations are consistent with the second amendment so when the government raises the second amendment is nothing more than a red herring. it's time for the second amendment defenders in congress to call them to read that three measures i mentioned require background checks for all the gun sales making gun trafficking if federal crime and limiting military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. we require leadership from the president and members of congress but there are other steps president obama can take without congressional approval. if any time he chooses with just the stroke of a pen. vice president biden understands this and we hope his recommendations will include at least these four steps t

difficult to do. >>> but first, as vicepresidentjoebidengetsready to make his recommendations on curbing gun violence as soon as today, the majority of americans polled by abc news backs major reform. >> here are the numbers. 71% support a new federal database that tracks gun sales. meanwhile, 58% favor a ban on assault weapons, while 55% agree with the nra plan to put armed guards in schools. abc's karen travers is covering this ongoing debate. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, sunny. yesterday, president obama held the last press conference of his first term. he wasn't really willing to go into details about what he's considering on gun control. but he took a lot of questions on that very explosive issue. after the tragic shooting at sandy hook elementary, president obama said the nation needed to change. and now he's poised to announce his own game plan on gun control. >> if there is a step we can take that will save even one child from what happened in newtown, we should take that step. >> reporter: president obama received recommendations

. now if youlook,joebiden, thinkingabout 2016, governor o'malley of maryland, thinking about 2016, governor cuomo of new york thinking about 2016. governor hickenlooper thinking about 2016, you have democrats saying let's take this on, let's take the lead that would have been viewed as risky, perhaps suicidal a few years go. let's see how it plays out. >> will it remain? is it fleeting? we shall see, john king. thank you very much. >>> gun rights advocates tell me they see gun registration as a slippery slope toward banning, even confiscating guns. but there are areas where they agree with president obama. we're going to play something from this gun owner who spoke that may be universal background checks, maybe that's the most palletable idea we heard from the president. i want to take you to las vegas. because miguel marquez is there. he is at the biggest gun range in nevada. huge, miguel, huge announcement today from the president. what reaction are you getting from gun advocates there? >> reporter: it is a huge gun range, a huge reaction here across nevada. there is the giant s

's bad to leave congress out of the equation. the good thing is it appearsthatjoebidendidsolicit people from both sides of the aisle on this debate to come and have this discussion with him. i think one of the most important things that many americans agree with is that this should be a comprehensive approach. you may not agree with every tenet of what the president will talk about today or any of them, but at least it was a comprehensive approach and to hear that the nra is at least happy with some of the things involved and maybe other people who feel differently than the nra are happy with some of the things, i don't think you'll ever have a plan where every single person is going to be happy with it. so let's see what it is first before we judge it completely. in the meantime, one of the things that's causing big stir is the fact that the president is going to be surrounded when he makes this announcement by children from around the country who wrote the president letters in the wake of that tragedy. so that has become a big question today. we know that imagery in politics, s

presidentjoebiden, gabbygiffords, and the new york city mayor michael bloomberg. joining us to explain the cover, rick stangel. thanks very much. tell us why you put these individuals, these three people on the cover. >> i think, wolf, they represent the sort of three legs of the stool of people who are trying to combat gun violence of the gr progressive side. mayor bloomberg has been out spoken for a very long time about reducing gun violence and he will be contributing money personally to a super pac that will help candidates who are in favor of gun laws and, of course, gabby giffords herself is a sim poll of the terrible tragedies that can happen from deranged people using guns. >> they are the three individuals on this fight right now. they didn't get together for a formal photo shoot for the cover, did they? >> no. we shot them individually and pieced them together. congresswoman giffords couldn't come to washington. otherwise i think we would have gotten them all together. >> how difficult will it be -- and your reporters have done a lot of reporting on this -- to get the preside

begin by thanking our vicepresident,joebiden, foryourdedication,joe, tothis issue, for bringing so many different voices to the table, because while reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn't be a divisible. over the month since the tragedy in newtown, we've heard from so many, and obviously none have affected us more than the families of those gorgeous children, and their teachers and guardians who were lost, and so we're grateful to all of you for taking the time to be here and recognizing that we honor their memories in part by doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. but we also heard from some unexpected people, in particular, i started getting a lot of letters from kids, four of them are here today, grant fritz, julia stokes, hina ziha and teja good. they're pretty representative of some of the messages that i got. these are some pretty smart letters from some pretty smart, young people. hina, a third grader, you can go ahead and wave hina, that's you. hina wrote, "i feel terrible for the parents who l

and it was initiated and passedbyjoebiden. heis the right person to come up with what we do next. regulating assault weapons falls in the bounds of the second ammendment. this is a question of political courage. the supreme court, which defines what the constitution means and says, states that reasonable considerations are part of the second amendment. when the gun lobby raises the second amendment, it is a red herring. it is time to call them on it. hthithis is background checks, making gun trafficking a crime, and limiting magazines, requires leadership from congress and the president. but there are other steps he may take without professional approval. vice president biden understands this and we hope his recommendations include these four steps. he can call for all agencies to submit data tehhey have to the background database. every bit of data -- is a murder in the making. gun sales can go ahead in cases were we all agree they shouldn't. second, the president can direct the justice department to prosecute convicted criminals who provide false personal information during background chec

. good afternoon, everybody. let me begin by thanking our vicepresident,joebiden. foryour dedication, joe, to this issue, for bringing so many different voices to the table. because while reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn't be a divisive one. over the month since the tragedy in newtown, we've heard from so many and obviously none have affected us more than the families of those gorgeous children and their teachers and guardians who were lost. and so we're grateful to all of you for taking the time to be here and recognizing that we honor their memories in part by doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. but we also heard from some unexpected people. in particular, i started getting a lot of letters from kids. four of them are here today. grant fritz, julia stokes and teja good. they're pretty representative of some of the messages that i got. these are some pretty smart letters from some pretty smart young people. hina, a third grader, you can go ahead and wave. that's you. hina wrote, i feel terrible for

in newtown, connecticut, this morning. thanks. >>> vicepresidentjoebidenmeetswith house members today as part of his effort to prevent gun violence. he is expected to make his recommendations on the issue to the president tomorrow. congress is unlikely to pass an assault weapons ban. me meanwhile on "meet the press" sunday, former secretary of state colin powell said the republican party is having an identity crisis. general powell, republican himself, also slammed his party for having a, quote, dark vein of intolerance. >>> new information this morning that the united states was involved in a failed rescue attempt in somali friday. president obama said u.s. forces provided, quote, limited tech nknick al support to french troops in their bid to rescue an intelligence agent being held ho hostage there. french intelligence says they believe the officer is dead. >>> have you felt a little empty inside since, say, 2006? be prepared to be whole again because sexy is back. justin timberlake releasing his first song in six years with a little help from jay-z. ♪ >> the track is called "suit

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